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The Maui News

Maui County has launched a pilot program this month to help residents tow and scrap personal junk and unwanted vehicles at no cost, in hopes of cutting down on abandoned cars around the island.

The Tow and Scrap Pilot Program on Maui costs $1.3 million for the fiscal year, and the plan will be evaluated on a monthly basis, according to a county news release Thursday.

A similar program is available on Lanai, and options for Molokai residents are coming in the near future.

“We’re expected to have fewer abandoned vehicles with this program because we’re reducing some of the economic obstacles people face when they have an old vehicle and they just can’t get rid of it,” said Tess Herman, supervisor of the Department of Environmental Management’s Abandoned Vehicles and Metals Section.

To use the program, residents may call one of two county vendors to schedule a towing appointment from an easily accessible spot to the disposal facility, Hammerhead Metals Recycling at Central Maui Baseyard in Puunene. People in Central, South and West Maui should contact D&D Towing, and those in East Maui should call Maui Tow and Transport.

Vehicle registration and safety check are not needed. However, the resident must possess the title for their personal vehicle and a matching government-issued photo ID. On the appointment day, the vehicle owner must follow the tow truck to Hammerhead, provide photo ID and submit the title directly to on-site staff.

The vehicle must be or have been registered in Maui County. No vehicles from outside the county or the state can use the program.

For more details and Maui County Tow and Scrap Pilot Program requirements, call the Abandoned Vehicles and Metals Section at (808) 270-6102 or visit mauicounty.gov/avm.

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